


a very merry mix-up

by liionne



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Based on a Made for TV Christmas Movie, Christmas Fluff, Fate, M/M, Meeting the Parents, asshole partners, idk what to tag this, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 02:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5440850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liionne/pseuds/liionne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Hey, Rikki-- my flight's been cancelled. So unless the snow clears the future Mr. Rebecca Barnes won't be meeting the in-laws any time soon--"</p><p>"Hey-- did you say Barnes? I just, uh, I heard you saying Rebecca Barnes - I've got a sister called Rebecca Barnes. I'm Bucky. Well I mean, James. But everyone calls me Bucky." He nods. "The whole family is going back to Brooklyn for Christmas."</p><p>"Yeah!" Steve beams. "I'm going to Brooklyn - I mean, I used to live in Brooklyn too, but we're going for Rikki's family, so--"</p><p>"I was gonna drive over there, if you wanna join me?"</p><p>"That would be great; thank you." Steve nods. He collects his luggage, and follows Bucky out of the airport;</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Steve Rogers is the Antique Store owner engaged to go-getter businesswoman Rikki. When he travels to meet his future in-laws for the first time before Christmas, chaos ensues as he loses contact with Rikki, runs into who he believes to be Rikki's brother, and starts the holiday celebrations with the wrong family. But is this just a silly mix up, or is it fate for Steve?</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	a very merry mix-up

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the Christmas movie of the same name, which I, of course, have nothing to do with. The little cheesy-ass description up there is taken from the IMDB page, too, so none of that is originally mine either! 
> 
> Beautiful beta'd by **monkeyduels** , who even helped to suggest the ending!
> 
> And also, merry christmas, happy hannukkah, and a seasons greetings to you all!

Steve looks at the board, and he huffs. He hates flying; or rather, he hates airports. Flying is fine. He can't seem to find his flight to New York _anywhere_ , and it's beginning to drive him mad. He turns around - he's just going to ask someone at one of the many hundreds of desks where he's going, when he almost smacks into someone. A very tall, very handsome someone.

"Can't find your flight on the board?" He asks, smiling softly.

"Something like that." Steve nods. Wow, but the guy really is attractive. Like, seriously attractive. Dark hair scraped back into a bun at the nape of his neck, a thick red scarf over his navy blue jumper. Steve has to think of what he wants to say for a few moments, but the other speaks before he can.

"New York." Steve answers. "Departing 15.30--"

"Oh." The other says. "Yeah. Sorry - that flight's been cancelled. There's a snowstorm coming in; snow ruins everything, right?"

"Oh no. No no no." Steve shakes his head - yeah, now he can see it. Most of the flights up on the board have been cancelled, actually, but Steve had been living in hope that he would get to his and it would still be flying out. Well; he was wrong. Proof that nothing ever goes right in Steve Rogers' life.

"Sorry." The other man says, and pats him on the shoulder. "Maybe they'll put you on a different flight."

"No-- no, it's gotta be this one. I gotta-- never mind." He shakes his head, and gives the other a smile. "Thanks anyway."

He turns to walk away; he's going to call Rikki. Yeah, that seems like a plan. He'll just call Rikki, and he can tell her what's going on. He holds the phone up to his ear, waiting as it rings, but of course it goes straight to voicemail. What else did he expect? Being one of the biggest up-and-coming businesswomen in the Northern US keeps her busy... Or something. Steve sighs, and waits for the tone.

"Hey, Rikki-- my flight's been cancelled. So unless the snow clears the future Mr. Rebecca Barnes won't be meeting the in-laws any time soon--"

"Hey-- did you say Barnes?"

Steve startles at the hand on his shoulder enough to jump, which sends his phone skittering out of his hand and across the floor. It's the same guy from before; he looks so embarrassed for startling Steve that he goes after his phone - only to spill coffee into the cracked screen. They both look at it in defeat, and the other looks just so embarrassed. Like, could drop dead right there embarrassed. His face is as red as his scarf as he scratches his neck. "I'm really sorry. I can, uh, I can pay you for the damages?"

Steve shakes his head. "It's fine." he says, giving the other a sheepish smile in the hope of making him feel a bit better. "Really, it's okay."

"I just, uh, I heard you saying Rebecca Barnes - I've got a sister called Rebecca Barnes. I'm Bucky. Well I mean, James. But everyone calls me Bucky." He nods. "The whole family is going back to Brooklyn for Christmas."

"Yeah!" Steve beams. "I'm going to Brooklyn - I mean, I used to live in Brooklyn too, but we're going for Rikki's family, so--"

"Y'know, we've never called her Rikki - wait. She's like this high--" He gestures to Steve's shoulder. "Long dark hair, dark eyes?"

"Yeah! That's her." Steve nods. "Wow - y'know she never said she had a brother. Although, actually, she's never told me anything about her family. She kinda sprung this on me last night."

"She’s got two other sisters, too." Bucky laughs. "She probably just wanted to surprise you with 'em. I was gonna drive over there, if you wanna join me?"

"That would be great; thank you." Steve nods. He collects his luggage, and follows Bucky out of the airport; bit of a coincidence, he thinks, but maybe he got lucky for a change.

~*~

"So who are the other sisters?" Steve asks, once they're on the road. The drive is a good four hours, so they've got plenty of time to get to know each other, seeing as Rikki evidently thought it best never to mention her family. Ever. Well - not true. Steve knows that her dad is a businessman, probably where she got her drive from, and her mother is a house-wife. And macrobiotic. Whatever that means. (Steve just knows it means that he had to google some brand new Christmas cookie recipes). "Seriously, she's not mentioned any of you."

Bucky laughs, hands on the wheel. "There's Beth; she's the second youngest, she's 18, and Brooke, she's 15. Big age gap, I know; our parents thought they didn't want anymore and then Beth came along, and after that they decided to have another one."

"Huh. Fair enough." Steve shrugs.

"You got any siblings?" Bucky asks, and Steve shakes his head.

"Nah - it was just me and my mom. Dad died when I was about two, and then when I was about fifteen my grandpa died, my mom's dad, so we went out there to take over his store. When ma died it went to me." Steve says. "So, uh, it's just me. But that's alright - I've got a big family now, right?"

"Right." Bucky says, giving Steve a grin, and Steve is glad that he managed to pull that back; it almost got seriously depressing in here. "So you're a store owner?"

"Yeah. Antiques." Steve nods. "I mean, it's a little hard. Rikki keeps trying to get me to sell; the entire block my store is on is getting bought out, to be turned into some great big mall or something. I could use the money, I guess, but it's the sentimental value, y'know?"

"I know. I'll put her in her place for you" Bucky says, turning to look at Steve before directing his gaze back at the road. "But antiques? I love antiques! Me and my Grandpa, we both do. Used to go round antique shops all the time when I was little; that's how he met my grandma, back in the day."

"Wow." Steve murmurs, and then he grins. "Huh. Guess I'm gonna fit in well then, huh?" He laughs.

"Well, sure." Bucky grins, eyes moving back to the road. "Oh-- another thing. How do you feel about Christmas?"

"Favourite time of the year." Steve says, almost a chirp before he turns back to Bucky, giving him a wide grin. Bucky seems doubtful, so Steve continues: "Seriously! Every year me and my mom - we never had much, but we used to make Christmas so damn special. I _love_ Christmas."

"Oh, then you're _definitely_ gonna fit in." Bucky laughs. "Just wait till we get you home - you'll be sucked into Christmas-crafts before you can even introduce yourself."

Steve laughs along with him, eyes lingering on Bucky for a long moment before he tears them away. "Rikki's not one for Christmas, huh?"  He asks, looking back to Bucky.

"Well, I mean - maybe not under her own steam. But when she gets home she'll get right back into it." Bucky says, giving Steve what seems to be a reassuring smile. Steve isn't sure about that; Rikki seemingly hates everything to do with Christmas. She asked if they really had to do presents this year, turned her nose up to both options of turkey and ham, which Steve had offered for Christmas dinner, and told Steve to just 'get the decorations out of the way' while she was at work.

But Bucky knows his own sister. Maybe Rikki'll get right into it when she meets up with him in a few hours time.

~*~

Half an hour away from home, and they're talking about their best Christmases.

"The electricity went out!" Bucky laughs. "And we had to get all of the candles - all of the candles in the _entire house_ \- took us about an hour to light 'em all. Brooke swears she has a permanent indent on her finger from all the matches."

Steve laughs, clutching at his stomach a little bit - he's done a lot of laughing over this trip. He grins at Bucky, and begins, "Alright, alright-- um... oh! So when I was about seven years old, my mom decided that for Christmas she wanted to get us a Santa--"

But Steve doesn't finish. The patch of black ice on the road is hidden well enough that Bucky drives over it without even noticing; the car skids, slides, and smashes into a wall.

Steve's story will just have to wait.

~*~

He wakes up, and everything is white.

Or it is for a second, at least. His vision focuses, and he makes out a light. A fluorescent light. And white ceiling tiles, flecked with blue and green.

"Shit-- oh my _god_." Bucky. That's definitely Bucky groaning. "Steve. Stevie? Y'alright?"

Steve looks over, and finds that, actually, Bucky looks relatively unhurt. He seems to be alright, from what Steve can tell, and it makes him more relieved than he would have anticipated.

"I'm good." Steve nods. "I mean, aching everywhere, but otherwise good. You?"

"Same." Bucky groans, head turning as the door to their room opens, and two people burst in, and older man and woman. "Bucky!" They cry, running over to his bedside and wrapping their arms around him.

"The hospital called." The woman explains. "They said you were in a _car accident_! They said you weren't seriously hurt, but how did we know that--"

"Mom, I'm fine." Bucky laughs, giving the woman another gentle squeeze.

The man looks over at Steve after a very long moment of looking at Bucky. He looks a lot like Bucky, actually, but more grey, and more wrinkled. There's warmth in his eyes, and in the crows feet around them, which is echoed in the startlingly blue eyes (much unlike Bucky's much softer, grey ones. not that Steve has been looking at them much) of the woman beside him.

"Who's this?" The man asks, and Bucky sits up a little in bed.

"Oh-- This is Steve. I was bringing him home for Christmas." Bucky's parents share a look,  and Bucky's cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. "He's Becca's fiancé." he explains, and the two parents give a soft (if a little disappointed) sigh. And then it turns to confusion.

"Becca's fiancé? She never even told us she was engaged!" The lady gasps, moving to Steve's bedside and shaking his hand. "I'm Winifred, her mother."

"Well, uh-- Rikki proposed to me, actually." Steve says, blushing softly. "But it's nice to meet you."

"Rikki?" The man says. Bucky butts in, and adds, "Apparently that's what she likes to be called now."

"Huh." The man says, shaking Steve's hand. "Odd. I'm George, her father. Did Bucky tell you about the girls?"

"Yeah, he's told me a lot about you all." Steve smiles. "I'm sorry to gate-crash your Christmas. I thought she might'a told you I was coming, but never mind."

Winifred laughs, her eyes rolling. "Ever since she moved to the big city Becca hardly calls - I'm not surprised! She probably meant to surprise us with you. Where is she?"

"She was at a work thing." Steve shrugs. "She was gonna come down on the next plane, but-- well. I couldn't call her. The hospital probably called her. Is she not at home already?"

"Not yet." George said, his head shaking. "She said she wouldn't be here for a few more days, at least."

"Shit." Steve huffed. "Well, never mind, right? Gives me a chance to get to know you all."

Winifred and George smiles, and Bucky seems pretty pleased too, actually.

~*~

Beth, Brooke and Grandpa are waiting for them when they get home a few hours later.

"Hey!" They all cry, pulling Bucky into various different hugs between them all, until they finally all turn to Steve.

"Everyone," Bucky says, taking to introduce him again. "This is Steve. Becca's fiancé."

The girls shriek, obviously excited, but Winifred calms them both down. "Alright, alright!" She calls. "These two need to go and get themselves settled." Winifred said. "They've had a long day, but they're not allowed to sleep. You two - go take the couches in the living room."

"I'm just gonna call Rikki." Steve says, hearing the girls mumble to one another about the odd nickname. "That okay?"

"Sure." Winifred smiles. "Phone is in the kitchen."

Steve moves through the house to the kitchen, just one room away from the little entry hall. He picks up the phone and dials Rikki's number, holding the phone to his ear. He sighs softly when he hears her answer machine message; she must have her phone off.

"Hey, Rikki-- it's Steve. I'm sorry I haven't called sooner; my phone's broken. Completely smashed. And I know you must be worrying after the hospital call, but honestly, I'm fine. I'm just not allowed to sleep in case I have a concussion, or something. But I'm home now. Just met your parents, actually - they seem nice. I'll try and call you again later, okay? See you soon."

He hangs up, only to realise he hadn't asked her why she wasn't there yet. Shit. He sighs; maybe she'll call him back, or something.

"Alright, Steve," George says as he enters the room. "Go and get yourself comfy on the sofa. You and Bucky've gotta rest, but don't even think about falling asleep. Winifred and I will come in and check on you every so often."

"Yessir." Steve nods, moving past George and into what he assumes is the living room, where he can see Bucky lounging on the couch.

"Steve, that couch might be a bit small," Winifred says, looking over at what is evidently a two-seater sofa; it most certainly will not fit Steve and his entire six feet and two inches. "You might be better taking the other one with Bucky; it'll be a bit cramped, but that'll probably help you keep each other awake."

Steve shrugs his shoulders. "Seems like a good idea to me." He smiles softly, sitting down at the other end of the sofa and pulling his legs up until he can get comfortable. "Thank you, Mrs Barnes."

"Please," She says, head shaking. "Call me Winnie."

"Well," Steve smiles. "Thanks, Winnie."

She gives a gentle smile, and she leaves, closing the door softly behind her.

And then Steve and Bucky are left alone.

~*~

They talk for a little while, whispering to each other about this and that; Steve hadn't realised the time, but after the car journey, and the hospital visit, it was pushing midnight by the time they got home."

But then they start to get sleep. And getting sleepy is bad, of course, so they can't do that.

"Y'know what me and Becca used to do when we _weren't_ sleepy?" Bucky asks quietly.

"No, what?" Steve murmurs, and Bucky gives a gentle smile. "We used to get up and make cocoa. But like-- secret agent ninja style. We used to sneak downstairs on our tip-toes, using only our flashlights, and we tried to talk to each other as little as possible."

"Oh, I can so get on board with that." Steve grins, sitting up carefully. He doesn't want to make himself dizzy, or anything. "Where are the flashlights?"

They find some stashed in the side-board underneath all of the school trophies and photographs and stuff; they check that they work, and then they sneak out of the living room, on their tip-toes, of course. The kitchen is right next door, so getting there without waking anyone up is easy enough...

But then comes the rest of it.

They spend a lot of time bumping into each other, falling onto each other, constantly touching in some way or another. It turns out that measuring out powder in the near-dark (because Steve's flashlight goes out, and then they're left with Bucky’s, with is starting to dim) is pretty damn hard, and when Bucky ends up pouring the entire bag of powder into the milk, making some kind of oddly delicious looking chocolate paste, Steve nearly passes out with laughter.

"We just-- just need more milk." Steve wheezes, clutching his stomach with the force of his laughter.

"That'll make tons of cocoa!" Bucky argues, but he's laughing as well.

"So?" Steve grins. "Just keep it for tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay-- You go get the milk." Bucky instructs.

"I don't know where the fridge is!"

"It's over there! In the corner!"

"Oh my--"

"Y'know, you boys would find this a lot easier if you did it with the light on." Winifred gives them a conspiratory smile, and flicks on the light. She looks at the mess her kitchen has become, and she clicks her tongue. "Back to bed, boys. I'll bring some cocoa in a few minutes."

Sheepishly, the boys creep out of the kitchen. They're covered in chocolate powder, some of the paste on their clothes, on their skin. As soon as they have both crept back onto the sofa, sitting side by side rather than topping and tailing, they burst into even more laughter.

Yeah, Steve thinks. He really likes this.

~*~

The next morning they wake up, having found themselves asleep, empty cocoa mugs resting on the coffee table in front of the sofa. They've been cuddling a little, during the night, but Steve manages to wriggle away before either of them can truly notice.

"Shit." Steve sighs. "We fell asleep."

"Well," Bucky yawns. "I don't feel concussed, so never mind."

Steve laughs, and rubs some dried paste from his cheek. "What's the plan for today?" He asks.

"Nn--" Bucky groans, the noise of the non-morning people. Steve was never a morning person until he got the shop; now he kind of likes mornings. Likes being up before the sunrise. "Um." Bucky continues, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Well a shower is in order, I think. I need to wake the fuck up."

"Same." Steve yawns, but honestly he feels pretty good.

"And then..." Bucky pauses, a sighs contently. "Then it's Christmas fun. Baking, probably. And decorating the tree. Mom was waiting for Becca to come home, I think, but since she won't be home until Christmas Eve it seems like a good time to do it."

"Baking. I _love_ Christmas baking." Steve grins. "I'm the _king_ of Christmas baking. For real. Oh! And the recipe I brought is macrobiotic."

"Macrobi-what?" Bucky frowns, only to be interrupted by Beth poking her head around the door.

"Did you sleep?" She whispers.

Bucky stretches, nearly knocking Steve off the couch, only to catch him with an arm around his shoulders. "Nope. Stayed up all night like the tank I am."

"Yeah right." She rolls her eyes. "Mom is making breakfast. She wants to know if Steve has allergies."

"I don't." Steve smiles. "I used to." he adds, looking to Bucky. "I used to be sick a lot." He looks to Beth, and smiles softly. "I grew out of it."

"Okay." She smiles. "Mom!" She hollers, leaving the door open as she walks away, still in her pyjamas. "Steve isn't allergic to anything!"

"Blueberry pancakes okay, Steve?" Winifred calls from the kitchen.

Steve catches onto this shouting thing fairly quickly, and turns his head towards the open door. "That'd be wonderful, thank you!" he calls, and Bucky grins.

"You fit in well here." He laughs, patting his shoulder. He's so sure he caught Bucky staring at him, but he has no idea why on earth he would be. "Go on - I'll let you use the shower first."

~*~

Steve has breakfast with the family, and gets to know them all a bit better. Beth got accepted to NYU and is studying chemical engineering; something that Brooke can appreciate, but has no desire to do herself. She wants to do English. Or art. Steve makes a note to show her his portfolio sometime; he never did get around to being a professional artist, but he has a pretty hefty set of works under his belt. Winifred and George argue and bicker constantly, but they seem happy in a way Steve hopes his parents would be at their age, and Grandpa - well. He really does love antiques.

"I'll have to come and see your shop sometime, huh? Y'know, I met Bucky's grandma over an antique. It was this beautiful clock from the 20s, an absolute gem - we fought over it for a good ten minutes before she suggested we share it. Made me take her out on a date every time we swapped it; I proposed only a month after, y'know."

"Wow." Steve says, sipping his coffee. Breakfast was over a while ago, with everyone but Grandpa and Bucky moving off to do other things. "You must have really been in love, huh?"

"Yeah," Grandpa says wistfully. "We really were. The clock's on the table in the hall if you wanna have a look."

And Steve _does_ want to look. Antiques are his deal. And the clock is something else entirely - the clock face itself is fairly small, but so elegantly put together, gilded with gold and set in a black marble stand. Steve could have sold something like this for a pretty hefty price - especially with it being almost a hundred years old. But he can also appreciate the sentimental value of the object; this must mean so much to Grandpa.

"It's amazing." Steve sighs. He's almost reluctant to touch.

"We were going to get our names engraved into it." Grandpa says softly, looking over Steve's shoulder. "But Ellie didn't want to ruin the value."

Steve smiles softly, and runs his finger over the cold marble. "Well - it's beautiful regardless. And it still means a lot to you, right?"

"Right." Grandpa grins.

"Steve!" Winnie calls from the kitchen, appearing in the doorway with her apron on, hands on her hips. She looks a lot like Beth and Brooke, actually; Rikki must look more like her father. Winnie has the soft dark curls, those piercing blue eyes, but a warm smile that makes Steve feel pretty freaking welcome. "We're going to do some baking, if you'd like to come and join?"

"I'd love to." He beams. He squeezes Grandpa's shoulder, and moves towards Winnie, following her into the kitchen. "I brought some recipes with me, actually. They're macrobiotic!"

"What's macrobiotic?" Winifred frowns, and Steve frowns too. "Rikki said--" He begins, but then again, Rikki hasn't spoken to her mom in a while, apparently. Maybe she's just wrong. "Never mind."

Steve is tossed an apron, and he gets to baking.

~*~

The three girls (and Steve) make the cookies together. Beth and Brooke are good girls, Steve learns; they're sweet and they're funny and the more he talks to them, the more it's clear they're going to get along. Once the cookies are done, though, Beth has homework to do, and Brooke's 'boyfriend' calls - George, Bucky and Grandpa go out to pick up the tree the three ladies had picked out the week before, because it's snowy out there and no one wants to get their feet wet. Thusly, Steve stays at home, and decorates the cookies with Winifred.

"That's Bucky and Becca, there." She smiles softly, head tilting as she coats each cookie with frosting. "Bucky was seven, Becca was six. Aren't they adorable?"

The picture is one of those horrible mall photos, where they sit kids on white sheets and that weird marble-y blue background. Bucky has no front teeth but he's beaming regardless, and Rikki's hair is wild and unruly. Steve can't imagine her like that, all rosy cheeked and wild. Just goes to show that things change.

"They'll always be my little babies." She coos at the photograph, causing both of them to laugh.

"We're home!" Comes the shout from the hallway, front door flying over and letting the cold in. Winifred puts the decorated cookies in the fridge, and Steve follows as she troops out into the hall. The tree isn't too big - it must be about six feet, and requires only Bucky and George to carry. They take it through to the corner of the living room, and set it into the stand, all three man standing back with their hands on their hips.

"It's a thing of beauty, Winnie." George grins. "Beth," he taps her knee. "Go get the decorations. Brooke, go help her."

The two girls - who had wound up watching Friends - head off upstairs, chattering to each other as they go. The night devolves into the entire family decorating the tree, something Steve is very happy to be a part of, actually. He can't help but smile, sharing sneaky glances with Bucky as he does. He doesn't know why he and Bucky get alone so well, or what it is about Bucky, but Steve really does like him. His... brother in law. Or soon to be.

Steve passes out on the couch after the decorating, along with everyone else. He ends up in the same position he had been the night before, pressed against Bucky's side on the couch, even after everyone else has drifted off to bed.

~*~

Still no call from Rikki, so Steve tries again the next morning after breakfast. He has no idea where on earth she is, or what the hell she's doing. He sighs when he hears the answer phone. "Rikki, it's Steve. Where the hell are you? You were meant to be here a day ago! Luckily your family is awesome, so I'm enjoying myself. You missed us putting up the tree, and you missed us making the Christmas cookies - just get your ass over here."

He hangs up, only to see Bucky hanging around in the doorway. "She'll be here." He says, looking a little tense. Steve smiles softly, and he nods.

"Yeah, I know. It's just-- she pulls this kind of thing a lot."

"What kind of thing?" Bucky asks, moving to lean against the bench beside Steve.

"Gets caught up in work." Steve responds. "Goes to the office when she's meant to be at home, stays at work functions too long..." he shrugs.

Bucky moves, then, to hug him. Steve is a little surprised at first, but he hugs him back regardless. "She probably just has a lot to do before she leaves for the holidays." He soothes, and Steve smiles a little. "She'll be here eventually."

"Yeah." Steve sighs.

"And hey-- weather's been pretty bad in DC, apparently; maybe she's just having trouble getting here." Bucky shrugs, and pulls away. He gives Steve that long look again, his grey eyes soft, and gentle. Steve doesn't know what to make of it, and so he blushes as he looks away.

"Ah-- yeah. Could be that." Steve nods. He hadn't factored that in, actually. "Come on - we're all gonna watch Christmas films for the day."

Steve grins, and follows Bucky into the living room. They end up having to share the arm chair in the corner of the room, because Beth, Brooke and Grandpa are snuggled up on the three-seater, and Winifred and George are hogging the two-seater. Steve doesn't mind. Bucky is warm, and he smells good. That's all that matters.

Between movies, Winifred makes cocoa and egg nog - Steve has one of each, because he's greedy, and subsequently falls asleep with his head on Bucky's shoulder.

He wakes up to shouts - shouts of "Becca's here!"

"At _last_." Steve huffs, standing up. Bucky looks up, realises what's going on, and gives Steve that tense smile again. "See?" He says. "Told you."

Steve moves to the door, where a woman has just walked in, facing the door as she closes it. She has a tan coat like Rikki does, she has boots like Rikki does, and she has Rikki’s dark brown hair; so it must be Rikki. "I thought you were never gonna get here, Scrooge!" he teases, picking her up and spinning her round, putting her back on the ground--

Only to discover that that lady is not Rikki.

She shrieks, and Steve gives a shout, both stumbling backward. "That's not-- that's not Rikki!"

"Who the fuck is Rikki!?" The girl - Becca - exclaims.

"Language!" Winnie scolds. "What on earth is going on here?"

"You-- That's not--" And then it dawns on Steve. The family he's never heard of. The Rikki/Becca thing. That freaking macrobiotic crap. "I'm... Oh my god. I'm at the wrong house."

Bucky tries to put a hand on his shoulder, but Steve shrugs it off. This isn't a good thing. And he's just-- he's so _embarrassed_.

"Steve-- Steve, it doesn't matter." Winifred says, stepping forward.

"Yeah!" Beth says. "Even if you have the wrong house.... you're still a really nice guy. We had fun!"

"I gate crashed your Christmas. I-- I'm a stranger to you all." Steve ducks his head, and runs a hand through his hair. "I need to make a phone call."

"Steve--" Bucky says, reaching out to him, but Steve turns away. "Can I use your phone?" he murmurs.

"Of course." George says.

Steve takes a deep breath, and pushes through the crowd to get to the phone. He needs to leave here, he thinks, before he dies of shame.

~*~

Rikki picks up the phone for once in her life, and arranges to come and pick Steve up. Steve grabs his stuff and packs it all up again, and goes and sits on the front step in his coat, scarf and gloves, staring at the road, feeling like a fool.

The door opens, and closes. Grandpa joins him on the step, and he looks at the road too. "Y'know, Steve-- I believe everything happens for a reason." he says.

Steve looks up at him after a long moment, and huffs. "Like fate?" He asks.

"Yeah." Grandpa nods. "Like fate. It was fate that me and Ellie both liked the look of that clock. That we went in at the same day, at the same time, and looked at the exact same object. It's fate that you ended up here too."

"I don't know about that." Steve sighs. "Seems like a stupid mistake to me."

Grandpa gives a soft, sad smile, as a car pulls up in front of the house. Rikki's car. The family all huddle up in front of the door once they see the car, and Steve pulls Grandpa into a hug. "Just think about it." Grandpa says, and Steve gives a gentle smile.

He says goodbye to the rest of the family, and puts his bag in the trunk. Rikki gets out, standing in her work stuff - she evidently had no plans of leaving the office until today. Not the snow, like Bucky said.

"I'm so sorry about this." Rikki says, standing in front of the family.

George is the first to shake his head. "There's no need to be sorry."

"We loved having him." Brooke adds.

"You're welcome any time, Steve." Winnie says.

Steve spends time hugging them all, apologising, thanking them. He can see that Rikki is impatient, so he moves to get into the car, only to realise that Bucky isn't there. He can't leave without saying goodbye to Bucky.

"Wait-- I forgot something. In the house." he says, pushing through the little crowd to head inside.

Bucky is sitting in the near dark of the living room, looking at the tree, at the lights. Steve moves, and wraps his arms around him.

Bucky gives a soft sigh, and wraps his arms around him in turn. "If you get sick of Christmas there you're welcome here." He murmurs, and Steve gives a soft, if a little choked up, laugh. Bucky has been the best part of the last few days, for sure. They get on so well - it's going to be weird, never seeing him ever again.

"I'll keep that in mind." Steve laughs softly, as he pulls away.

He doesn't see it coming - the kiss is soft and sweet and chaste, but it's perfect. It's absolutely perfect. Bucky tastes as good as he smells, and Steve can't help but pine for more.

But he has to go. His fiancée is outside.

"I'll see you around, Steve." Bucky sighs. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Steve responds, as he slips out of the quietened house.

~*~

It turns out that Rikki's house is _shit_.

She's an only child, but the house is big, and modern. Everything is either white, or stainless steel. Mrs. Barnes is home when they get there; Steve moves to hug her, and she recoils in horror.

"I'm cleansing my chakras." She says. "Too much contact with other people can..."

"Clog them up?" Steve guesses.

Mrs. Barnes grimaces a little. "Something like that."

She leads them through the kitchen, with Rikki muttering to Steve about how her mom is all about this new age shit. And it's true - two steps into the ultra-modern and ultra-lifeless kitchen, a deep green smoothie looking thing is pressed into Steve's hand.

"Here." Mrs. Barnes smiles. "This should help to settle your subtle body, and make you at peace."

"Well, I mean - I'm pretty peaceful already." Steve shrugs; he sniffs the drink. It smells like death.

Rikki's mother gives him the once over, and wrinkles her nose. "It'll help to clean you out, dear. Good for digestion. Unclogs you."

"Like your chakras?" Steve asks, genuinely trying to make a connection.

"No." Mrs. Barnes sighs, and Steve turns away in an attempt to chug the horrifying smoothie in one go.

There's the sound of the door opening and closing, and then a man who looks a little like Rikki walks in, in a suit and tie. "Oh, Rikki, darling, hi."

They air-kiss, and Mr. Barnes pulls a face at the smoothie in Steve's hand.

After more introductions are made, a cell phone starts to beep. Rikki and her father exchange a series of "is that yours or mine?"s before they both pull their phones out of their pockets, and Mrs. Barnes rolls her eyes.

~*~

On the night of Christmas Eve, the next night, Rikki announces that she has a surprise for Steve.

So far, the Christmas at Rikki's place has been awful. Her childhood room is all but empty, save for the Early Entrepreneur trophies on the desk in the corner. When Steve mentions a walk in the park opposite their house, Rikki shrugs her shoulders and says she never even knew there was a park.

Never mind.

So actually, Steve isn't very much looing forward to this surprise. But he goes along with it anyway. They're all sat in the lounge, a white room with a white floor, white furniture, and a single lamp on in the corner. Steve hates it, but he says nothing. There's also not a single Christmas decoration in the entire house; he hates that too. But again, he says nothing.

"Steve, I've got an early Christmas present for you." Rikki grins, standing in front of him like its some kind of business presentation. "Whilst I've been at work the last few days, I've been working hard. And, after a lot of pencil pushing and hard working, I've managed to secure a deal for your store - they'll give you a million for it. A straight million! And then work can begin on the new Presidential Retail Park--"

"You're making an offer on my store?" Steve asks, eyebrows arched. Rikki looks at him, and she nods. "You're unbelievable."

He stands, and he storms out.

They've had this conversation. Maybe everyone else is selling out, but he won't; the store is his life. That store has been in his family for years; it wouldn't be right to sell it. He doesn't _want_ to sell it. He told Rikki no the first time, and so to offer it again? She's entirely out of line.

He storms up to their (her) room, and slams the door. After a few moments, Rikki comes inside, and stands in front of Steve as he sits on the edge of the bed.

"Steve - I'm sorry. I know that was a big thing to spring on you." She says, and Steve looks up, about to snap at her, but she holds a finger up to silence him. Steve sighs, and gestures for her to go on. "but before you consider your answer, I want you to consider this, too."

She holds a box out to Steve, all wrapped up and pretty. Steve frowns, and takes the box. He unwraps it, and opens it, to reveal... a lease.

A lease for a shop.

A shop just a block away.

"Is this what I think it is?" Steve snaps.

"It is." Rikki nods slowly. "See? You can have a new shop. Move all your little trinkets over there. This shop's bigger - you could put a cafe in it. And it has amazing road access, think of all the extra custom you'd get--"

"But it isn't mine." Steve argues.

"It can be." Rikki smiles, producing a pen and holding it out to him. "If you sign right there on the dotted line."

Steve looks at the lease, and at the pen.

"Babe," Rikki sighs softly. "We need to move on. Make our own decisions. This will be good for us."

Steve isn't even listening. He sets the box down, and pushes the pen away, moving for the bathroom. "I need to think." He says, not even hesitating before he closes and locks the door.

He thinks about it all. He could sell his shop. Get the new one. Make a new life for him and Rikki.

But why would he? If Rikki loved him she would love the shop, surely?

Bucky loved the shop and he hadn't even seen it.

Enough about Bucky.

Rikki is just thinking about what's best for him, isn't she? She wants him to make a little money, get out of the financial slump he had found himself in.

The Barneses didn't seem to have much money, but they still seemed happy.

Enough about the Barneses.

He can't do it. He can't sell the store. He can't give up the life his mother gave him, or the legacy his grandfather passed onto him.

And he can't marry Rikki.

He comes out of the bathroom to find her still holding that lease, looking hopeful. "You ready to sign, baby?" She asks, and Steve takes the lease from her. He shakes his head, and tosses it away. "I can't do this." He says.

"Rikki. I'm so sorry." he murmurs, pressing his engagement ring into the palm of her hand. "I can't do this. I have to go."

And so he does.

He goes.

He goes to the only place he can think of.

He has no idea where he is or what he's doing, but he trusts his gut; with no phone and no map it's not like he can find his way anyway. He races through the dark, snowy streets, turning corners at random, until he smacks into another body.

A body he definitely recognises.

"Bucky!"

"Steve!"

There's no more time for words. Steve launches himself across the snowy sidewalk and kisses Bucky long and hard, no more time for chasteness.

"I broke it off. I broke it off with Rikki." Steve pants, looking down at Bucky from where he's found himself on top of him. Bucky nods, hasty, and pulls Steve into another kiss. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"You are?" Steve asks, kissing him again.

"No." Bucky replies honestly, pulling him into another kiss, and then another, and another, until the snow has soaked through his jeans, and through Bucky's coat, and they're forced to walk back to Bucky's place, hand in hand.

"Y'know," Steve says, as they walk back hand in hand together. "I think we should take it slow. Maybe you should take me out on a date first." He teases.

Bucky snorts, swinging their hands a little between them. "I don't know about that." He says. "Why don't you just meet my parents?"

He smirks as Steve blushes, the tips of his ears turning a deep, and very Christmasey, red.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, questions and prompts can be sent to [my tumblr](http://achaiion.tumblr.com/ask).


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